HOWA EP133 - TRENTEMØLLER

11 snips

Dec 16, 2024

Trentmøller, the Danish musician known for blending shoegaze, darkwave, and electronic music, shares insights from his artistic journey. He reflects on his upbringing in Denmark and how it shaped his unique sound. The conversation dives into the creative process of music production, highlighting the importance of collaboration and emotional transitions. Trentmøller discusses the balance between simplicity and complexity in soundscapes, and reveals his obsession with chorus pedals, owning over 50. His music explores contrasts and paradoxes while evoking nostalgia without being overly sentimental.

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INSIGHT

Songwriting First

Trentmøller prioritizes songwriting, spending significant time developing chord progressions and melodies.
He believes a strong song foundation allows for flexible sonic exploration and "dressing up" later.

ADVICE

Routine for Creativity

Establish a routine to enhance creativity, especially when time is limited.
Anders' routine, influenced by fatherhood, allows focused music creation and avoids overproduction.

ADVICE

Delete Unfinished Work

Delete unfinished or struggling songs to clear hard drive space and mental clutter.
While potentially wasteful, this approach helps Anders move forward without dwelling on problematic material.

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Id often hear about this man during my stint in Berlin in the mid 2000s.

Mostly that he had an amazing live show... who was this man?

There was a sense in my mind that he was a gothic mystery, a dark figure that coaxed mystical melodies from the tarot and such but it seems like he’s a sensitive and passionate follower of his own North Star.

His upbringing in Denmark really captured my imagination.

Partly just reflecting on the simpler times and remembering my own childhood in the sticks and how music was such an elixir to a world with a lot less demands on the modern, dwindling attention. T

he power of radio to educate and mix it up, when things were all jumbled together a little would be one example of the way it was different then.

We get into that and I think it’s actually a huge deal. I would argue it’s the reason we have the music of Trentemøller at all.

Anyway I’m running into a pool of the past here. I suppose sometimes that’s what a chat will do. Funnily enough I find his music to be exploring contrasts, paradoxes, and themes of reminiscence without nostalgia. Quite a challenge! There’s something familiar to the tones (especially the chorus which is a major sonic stamp on this music. It turns out Anders owns over 50 chorus pedals!!! I mean WHAT?) but the drums are fresh and the sound is vital in a refreshing way. Dare I say it almost feels light. Much lighter than I’d imagined it being.

Also he’s a song writer first and foremost and although the tone palette is crucial, the song always ends up being the main event and I tip my hat to the man for this. It’s not easy!

Lovely stuff. Hope you enjoy our rambles.

____ Music for EP133 comes from Clocks and Barometers.

The music you hear peppered through the episode is from a record called “learning through investigation”

Clocks and Barometers is a collaborative project between Dive Reflex Service and Lupo which began in the summer of 2023.

Excellent stuff which I shall not try to describe seeing as they kindly provided me with a link so you can jolly well go and have a listen!!

HERE is the link